Insulated box wagon W849, which has spent many years as an ugly duckling in the back of the workshop, recently made a brief excursion into the daylight, modeling its gleaming new swan-like white appearance. Getting the wagon to this point has been a real team effort, sincere thanks to everyone involved.

Following the completion of the woodwork repairs on the wagon body, the last of the surface defects have been rectified and the timber on the entire wagon has been sealed and repainted in white.. The brackets and hand-grips on the body have been de-rusted and are in the process of being straightened and repainted. The roof canvas has been re-stapled using the societies new pneumatic stapler (over 1000 staples installed). The roof covering required extensive cleaning to remove the years of accumulated oil and dust. It has now been repainted in a special white primer. The rather decrepit looking door has been removed and stripped of its rotten cladding and rusty steelwork. Removal of the door was slightly problematic due to the seized pins and considerable weight of the door. It has been found that this door is more rotten than anticipated and will require some structural repair; not a difficult job but it will just take a little longer than hoped. The majority of the timber moldings that fit around the edge of the roof have been refitted. The headstocks of the wagon have been cleaned back to bare steel and work is under way on removing the rust and grime from the steel frame of the wagon.

Further work has been undertaken on the Tamper. The engine cover and numerous smaller components have been restored and repainted. The Tamper has moved under its own power on a couple of occasions recently.

A charter was operated during March for a group of international travelers. They really seemed to enjoy their time with us despite changeable weather. We were surprised to receive an elaborate certificate of appreciation from them as well as a letter of thanks.